Into the Watery Reflection
by Bullet in the Brainpan- Squish
Summary: If I had been accepting like I was supposed to, I would have never fallen into Wonderland and I would've never found myself. My reflection showed me who I was, and I decided then, that's who I would be. AU Hinata-centric No pairings


_A/N: I know you want KyuuBrats, Chad, but this is the best I've got. I blame you though, because you took me to Alice. It's all your fault. BTW, Can I use Resred? I wanna put him somewhere, but I'm not sure yet. _

_I know that Alice in Wonderland is used soo much as a plot device, but in all honesty, it is amazing. This is my own fanfictiony twist to the story, with more Japanese-isms and Naruto folk lore. _

_Why Hinata, you may be asking. I'll tell you why. I'm using Hinata because I love her character and I believe that she would do well in an adventure like this. Besides, she needs more love. I'm going to try and keep the shipper goggles off, which only means that there won't be blantent romance for her. Just very very subtle stuff. Veeerrrryyy subtle. _

_Disclaimer: I own niether Hinata nor Alice in Wonderland. And if I can use his sorry butt, I won't own Resred either. Unfortunately. He seems like fun. _

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I wanted to scream. I wanted to dance in desperation, roar in rage, howl in horror, and do something that starts with F in frustration. I did none of these things, because I was a proper young lady, and that was no something a proper young lady did.

Unfortunately.

The party was extremely dull, even more so then average standards. There was no interesting conversation to be had nearby, mostly because of my companion.

Do not get me wrong, I did like Hotaru-san. The only problem was that the man was so very, very dry. I didn't not enjoy it. But I smiled politely as he spoke, and agreed with what he said. It was the only thing I could do.

I was not a fool. I knew what this party was for. My father, the head of the Hyuuga Clan, was planning to announce my formal engagement to this man. This thought terrified me. I was not ready to be married, I couldn't do it. Marriage was a world that I did not wish to be a part of, but I could do nothing. I had to suck it up.

That day, despite my terror, I was beautiful. I was decked out in a full kimono, pale lilac with dark blue cranes flying across, that emphasized my pupil-less gaze. My obi was a deep purple, and the original obi-jime was a lilac color as well, but I decided to wear a black one. It was important to me, considering that two weeks ago was the tenth anniversary of my mother's death day, and in a way, a death day for myself. 

My dark blue hair was piled on the back of my head and held there with two black hair sticks. They were unadorned, plain simple sticks. My father had seen them and was unamused, but I did not care. I just let my gaze hit the floor and pretended to be the quiet, unassuming daughter. It was the only thing that I was good at.

I felt the breath in my lungs freeze, and suddenly, panic raced through my veins. I will never understand what began my panic attack, but whatever it was, now I am grateful. I nearly passed out where I was standing, lightness rushing to my skull. I wavered slightly, almost gasping to take a breath. Hotaru-san was speaking to someone else, and did not notice my predicament. Only one thought came to my mind.

Run.

To be fair, I am not a person who runs from my problems often. I simply conform to the path before me. My younger sister once said that I was water through and through. I took the shape of the container I was in. Now, though, I was blocked by a dam, and the dam was breaking.

I ran.

My geta were not shoes that one ran in, but I did so anyways. I raced towards the gardens, dancing my ways through the throngs of people politely annoying one another. There was a bench there, where I could sit and gain my bearings. I raced as though I was being chased, and in a way, I was. I could hear the voices of my soon to be fiance and my father behind me, pushing me away.

I finally broke through to the garden, and my breath began to return to me. I made my way to the bench, which it was situated beneath a Sakura tree. I sat, gasping for air, fighting the panic.

That's where I saw the most curious thing.

It was a frog, but not just a frog. It was nearly triple the size of normal frogs and was dressed in a business suit, much like the one my cousin wore when he went to work in the city. It was muttering to itself, glancing down to a watch strapped to its wrist. He was hurrying away from the garden, to the wall at the back of the property. There was a gate, but it was old and constantly locked. It opened onto a path that led down to the river, or at least, that's what I thought.

It walked closer, and I could make out the words it was saying. "Late, always late. I think this dang watch is wrong. That's what I get for buying from a newt. Swindlers, the lot of them."

I blinked, sure I was hallucinating. Yet, I was not, because there was a indeed, a frog dressed in a suit, heading for the back gate of my home. I stared in abstract horror and awe as he walked past and behind a bush.

I was up on my feet immediately, racing after him. I knew, there was no doubt no frog behind the bush now, that it was a temporary illusion. But as I stepped towards the gate, I saw him, reaching into the front pocket of his blazer and pulling out a key. He jumped up into the air, stuck the key in the lock, and landed smoothly in one quick motion. Then he jumped again, turning the key, and landed again. He pushed on the gate, which swung open with a loud creak, and he walked through. He jumped to take the key out of the lock and then closed the gate. Then he hopped out of sight.

A voice in the back of my mind told me to go back to the party and make my apologies. But curiosity got the best of me, and I ran after the frog, my geta making a cracking noise on the path.

I tentatively pushed on the gate, sure that the frog had not locked the gate when he left. It creaked open again, showing me the river. I gulped, suddenly terrified. I was unsure of what I would learn when I found the frog, but I had to go. I wouldn't be able to rest if I didn't. It was as if something was screaming my name.

I closed the gate behind me, noting the small footpath that led to the river a few yards away. I couldn't see the frog anymore, but considering what I knew of frogs, I figured that it was at the river. I slowly made my way down, careful not to fall. The uneven ground was difficult to traverse with my shoes, but I knew that if I was patient, I would not trip.

A squelching sound alerted me to the fact that I was now making me way through mud. I hopped onto a rock, and stood there for a moment, regaining my balance. Now, I could see my reflection in the water of the river.

The flow of the water was slow, a gentle current leading south. There was a soft bubbling noise where the river met the banks, but that was it. If it was smaller, it could be called a creek, but the sheer size of it made it a river. It was quite a few yards across. It had supposedly saved my home from an enemy invasion centuries ago, when it was young and fast. Now, it had dug itself deep and calm.

I leaned over, observing myself in the water. I looked the same, large pupiless, lilac eyes, dark blue hair. My nose was small and thin, a blessing from my honored mother. My lips were not vulgarly full, but perfectly sized to be considered beautiful this day and age. I was simple, yet beautiful, according to my sister and suitors. I did not believe them. I though my sister beautiful, because she had inherited more of my mother then I. I had my father's face, except for my nose.

As I was contemplating this, I noticed something dark under my reflection. I blinked, narrowing my gaze to look closer. I was expecting a fish, but the dark figure would not clear. I leaned closer, trying to decipher the image. Before I could correct myself, I overbalanced forward, falling into the river with a splash.

I expected icy-cold water to wash over me and was already preparing myself to kick upwards when I stopped my descent. I knew it would be difficult to get to the surface with my kimono, but I had to attempt it anyways. But there was no icy shock and there was no stop to my downward descent. I felt the pull at my ankles and looked down, panic once again racing through me.

I was being pulled into a whirlpool.


End file.
